CHARLES GUYETTE: Godfather of American Fetish Art [*Cream Paper Edition*]

by Richard Pérez Seves, Charles Guyette (Contributor), Irving Klaw (Contributor)

Charles Guyette, the "G-string King," referenced in the film of Wonder Woman's creator, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, and costumer to Bettie Page, is rightly considered the godfather of American fetish art. His fetish art operation was the first of its kind in America, dealing in what was then generally regarded as “deviant” European-inspired material. In 1935, he was arrested and sent to federal prison. But what should’ve been the end was just the beginning. Although rarely credited by name in his lifetime, he influenced everyone who would follow him, particularly the publishers Robert Harrison, John Willie, Irving Klaw, and Leonard Burtman. The aim of this book was to evoke the spirit of Guyette—to collect surviving fragments of a decimated catalog largely by referencing vintage fetish publications from the 1930s through the 1980s and reconstruct a lost history. This portfolio of images is followed by biographical information seen nowhere else, and serves as a substantial introduction to the birth of American fetish art and the cultural impact of an unrecognized pioneer.



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Publications referenced in composing this tribute include:
Bizarre Life v.4, n.6, 1980.
Black Lace v.1, n.1, undated (c. 1958).
Catalog C-2, 1957.
Fetishist n.1, undated (c. 1985).
London Life, March 22 1935.
Bizarre Classix v.4, 1980.
Exotique Correspondence Digest n.1, 1958.
Bizarre Classix v.3, 1978.
Bizarre Classix v.5, 1983.
London Life, April 8 1939.
Exotique n.13, undated (c. 1957).
Fantastique Photo Album n. 2, undated (c. 1960).
Exotique n.1, undated (c. 1955).
Exotique n.10, undated (c. 1956).
Bizarre n.9, 1952.
Bizarre n.6, 1951.
Exotique n.12, undated (c. 1957).
Exotique n.8, undated (c. 1956).
Exotique n.16, 1957.
Exotique Photo Album n.1, undated (c. 1957).
Painful Memories v.1, n.1, undated (c. 1981).
Gay Book magazine, Dec. 1937.
Gay Book magazine, May 1938.
Wink magazine, Jan. 1949.
Gay Book magazine, Aug. 1937.
Gay Book magazine, Sept. 1937.
Fetish Letters v.1, n.1, undated (c. 1985).
Exotique n.34, 1959.
Erotic Symbolism by Edw. Podolsky, 1960.
Bizarre Classix v.1, 1976.
Portrait of Evil F-6, undated (c. 1962).
Wink magazine, April 1947.
Bizarre Classix v.2, 1977.
Exotique Correspondence Digest n.1, 1958.
New Exotique Photo Album n.9, 1959.
Exotique Correspondence Digest n.1, 1958.
Flirt magazine, March 1948.
Bizarre Classix v.2, 1977.
Gay Book magazine, Feb. 1937.
Wink magazine, Dec. 1947.
Exotique n.4, undated (c. 1956).
Bizarre Life v.1, n.1, 1966.

Genres: Art, Erotica, Photography, Nonfiction

203 pages, paperback

First published August 1, 2017

About the author

Richard Pérez Seves is the author of
JOHN WILLIE: The Story of John Alexander Scott Coutts, GENE BILBREW REVEALED: The Unsung Legacy of a Fetish Art Pioneer, CHARLES GUYETTE: Godfather of American Fetish Art , Jackie Miller Recollection: A Tribute in Photos, and the hardcover illustrated biography, Eric Stanton & the History of the Bizarre Underground.




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Reviews

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting read on the fetish subculture in America in the 1930s & 1940s, but the quality of the book for any given reader will be determined by their interest in leg and shoe fetish photography more than any other factor, as about three quarters of the book is nothing but high quality examples of that from the 30s & 40s. The remainder of the book is a fascinating essay on the life and work of Guyette, who built a subterranean business selling fetish wear, sexy pictures (mostly clothed and semi-clothed), and burlesque outfits almost a hundred years ago, with extensive annotations and some reprints of contemporary news articles.

For what this is, it's a impressive volume, but I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed due to the thinness of the text in the book, as my reason for getting it was a fascination with early history of alternative lifestyles and the essay was shorter than I had hoped given the overall length of the book. However, the extensive photos are reproduced incredibly well and are the reason for the interest in Guyette in the first place, so while it isn't exactly what I wanted, for what it is it's an impressive volume. Also, though the description name drops Charles Moulton (the creator of Wonder Woman), there's literally nothing in the book about him, which might disappoint some readers.

I wish, for the sake of others more skilled than I am more than myself, that there was more detail available on Guyette's fetishwear construction technique and materials, but I'd assume that there's little accurate information available at this point or else it would have been included. Overall, though the book leaves something to be desired it is a fascinating document of a vanished world and a man who pulled a motley crew of characters into his orbit, including Bettie Page, Irving Klaw, Eric Stanton, John Willie and a host of others less well known.

[?0?0?0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guyette, most famous, probably, for his Bettie Page costumes, has his work collected here. Did you buy this book? Then this will be endlessly pleasing. Did you get this from a friend or the library for whatever reason? Hopefully, this book will be a delight, but it may just have you shrug. It really depends on one's interest in the subject, but I haven't seen this content collected elsewhere in such a way as to make it the perfect "coffee-table book" for people such as this reader. Many thanks to the author for putting this all together in a lovely softcover.

[Amy Ingalls · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway. I have always been interested in pin-up art, and it was interesting to learn a bit about Charles Guyette and his influence on this genre.